World Bank: Today, 2 in 5 vulnerable Peruvians are at risk of falling into poverty, the highest since 2004.

The fight against poverty is one of the urgent tasks facing the country. Actually, Peru has managed to reduce much of its poverty in two decades thanks to significant economic growth.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has halted these gains in the country and pushed almost 2 million people below the poverty line between 2019 and 2021.

Today more poor and vulnerable than before the crisisand most of them live in cities. Even, Two in five vulnerable Peruvians are at risk of falling into povertythis is the highest level not seen since 2004, according to a new World Bank report.Reinforcing Resurgence: Assessing Poverty and Equity in Peru” released today.

Luis Felipe López-Calva, World Bank Global Director for Poverty and Equity, says the current outlook is not so encouraging because today “Seven out of ten Peruvians are poor or at risk of falling into poverty.”

“Peru needs to fully recover from the effects of the pandemic, now it has the opportunity to reduce social instability and move towards more equitable and sustainable growth,” Lopez-Calva added.

Between In 2004 and 2019, poverty dropped from 59% to 20%. mainly through accelerated economic growth, although this increased to 26% in 2021 as a result of the pandemic. However, many people who have escaped from poverty have remained in the zone of vulnerability.

The crisis has also accelerated the urbanization of poverty. Today in Peru, seven out of ten poor people live in urban areas. Despite this, the rural poor are still poorer than the urban ones.

Resurge Strengthened presents public policy recommendations for restoring and building on the achievements of the past. Among them is the promotion of access to quality public services.

Although access to basic services has improved over the past two decades, almost 60% of Peruvian households lack one or more basic services such as drinking watersewerage, electricity and internet.